


from the cradle to the grave

by localopa



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Bottom Louis, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Getting Together, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23931064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localopa/pseuds/localopa
Summary: love is only for the brave
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 73
Collections: Walls Fic Fest





	from the cradle to the grave

**Author's Note:**

> hi and welcome to my piece of the walls fic fest! the song i have chosen is only the brave. i had a blast writing this and i hope i did the song justice. title of this came from only the brave by louis tomlinson (obviously). enjoy.
> 
> EDIT: now that it’s been revealed, i’d like to thank rachel as always for betaing this and kirstin for being my cheerleader. i love you both. enjoy.
> 
> xx. oliver

when harry and louis meet, it’s at a party, louis is drunk, harry is half way there, and katy perry’s  _ the one that got away _ is playing. 

there’s a game of beer pong going on in some far corner of the house as the dancing bodies in the living room brings the two of them together. harry’s hands find louis’ hips like magnets. louis’ arms are in the air, yelling at the top of his lungs as the song changes, and harry has this beautiful, beautiful boy in his hands. he stares at him with his mouth half open, like he’s about to say something but is too mesmerized by the beauty that is louis tomlinson. 

“hi,” louis finally says, giggling as he lowers his arms to around harry’s neck. his fingers lace through the hair at the base of his neck, twirling it. “‘m louis.”

harry almost forgets to breathe as he answers, “i’m harry.”

louis giggles more, which makes him infinitely more cute than he already is. fingers tug lightly on harry’s hair, his head tilting back to expose a bit of his neck. lips find their way to the exposed skin, drawing a soft moan from harry. louis pulls away, eyeing over the other. 

a remix of  _ all of me _ starts playing, louis turning in harry’s hands and starting to grind back into him. it feels inappropriate to be dancing dirty to such a soulful song, but it’s the remix so harry guesses it’s fine. he slowly starts to move with the music, move with louis, hands firm on his waist. it’s addicting, dancing with louis, he obviously knows the effect he has on men. but something about harry, something about this curly mopped almost adult harry makes him stay gravitated to him. 

he wants to ask louis back to his place, to defile him in the best way. he wants to hear his moans and whimpers as he opens him up carefully for his cock. he wants to see him fall apart, unable to think of anyone else besides  _ harry.  _

harry opens his mouth to say something, anything right in louis’ ear when the other turns around. he has a smirk on his face, like he knows what harry is about to ask. 

“let’s get out of here,” louis yells over the music. he grabs harry’s hand and pulls him towards the door. 

harry’s stomach is in knots as they get out of the house party, breathing heavily like he’s panicking. he doesn’t think he is, but louis seems to think so. 

“hey,” his voice is softer now that they’re outside, away from the music. “we don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.” he thumbs over harry’s cheek, catching a stray tear he didn’t know was there. 

harry shakes his head. “no, no. i wanna. i just-“ he cuts himself off, unable to calm his breathing down. 

louis, bless him, takes him down the lawn more, sitting on the grass and pulling harry down with him. he fiddles on his phone for a minute, harry assumes ordering an uber, before wrapping his arms around him. it’s silent for a moment, both of them sobered you by now as they wait for their ride to arrive. 

“i called for a ride. they’re, uh, taking me back to my place, if you want to come with me,” louis says, a stone’s throw away from how he was inside the house. “you don’t ha-“

“no,” harry cuts him off. “my roommate probably pulled, it’s better if i don’t go back tonight.”

louis nods as a car pulls up, getting up off the grass and offering harry a hand. he accepts, smiling when louis doesn’t let go. they get into the car when it arrives, letting go of each other’s hands only for harry to reach out and grab louis’. he blushes, looking down with a smile on his face. 

their hands break apart when they reach louis’ flat, thanking the driver and walking up to the building. louis lets them in, going over to the lift and punching the button. they wait for the doors to open and they enter, louis pressing the button again and waiting for them to get to their floor. harry takes a deep breath and grabs louis’ hand, swearing harry could hear him sigh happily. 

they make it inside the flat, but nothing happens but for stolen kisses and giggles. harry leaves the next day with a new number in his phone and a smile he can’t wipe off his face. 

-

to say harry’s nervous is an understatement. 

tlc’s  _ no scrubs  _ is playing while harry’s staring in the mirror, trying to decide if he looks good enough for his date with louis. 

louis. date. date with louis. he needs to look good. 

harry takes a deep breath before changing the song, _hoedown throwdown_ by miley cyrus playing. he changes the song again, _juice_ by lizzo, and again, _what a man gotta do_ by the jonas brothers, and again, _lava lamps_ by maty noyes. eventually, he just turns off the music, it’s clearly not helping. 

it’s a first date, and he has no reason to be nervous. all they're doing is going to a market. which shouldn’t be that nerve wracking but it is to poor harry’s body. for christ’s sake, they’ve already kissed and held hands! what is there to be nervous about? 

everything. which is why this needs to be  _ perfect.  _

he’s dressed in a cream colored jumper with black jeans and his favorite pair of boots. he thinks he looks good, but he sends a picture off to gemma just in case. 

_ yes _ , his sister texts back,  _ you look great. probably gonna get laid. use protection, little brother! _

harry takes a deep breath. gemma wouldn’t lie to him, he trusts her, so he’s taking her word for it. he pockets his phone, checking to make sure he has his wallet and keys before leaving the flat, locking up and going out to his car. 

it’s a relatively short drive to louis’ flat, and soon enough he’s standing in front of the door trying to will himself to knock. it’s not that hard, just make a fist and hit it against the door. he takes a deep breath, hand poised to knock when the door opens and louis peaks his cute head out.

“oh,” harry says dumbly. “i-“

“i saw you in the window,” louis tells him quickly. “thought i’d save you the trouble.” he smiles. 

harry mirrors his smile. “yeah, you ready to go?”

louis nods, grabbing his keys and locking up. his smile hasn’t left his face as they walk out of the building and get to the car. harry opens the door for him, closing it once he got in and walked around to the driver’s side. he gets in, buckling up and starting the car.

“so, mr. tight lips, where are you kidnapping me to?” louis teases, looking over at harry as he drives. 

“well, nosy, we’re going to south market.”

louis hums, reaching over to fiddle with the radio. he finds a station he likes, leaving it there as he sits back in his seat. they drive with the radio in the background, louis softly singing along to the music. 

“you’ve got a good voice,” harry tells him, glancing over at louis.

he shakes his head. “shut up, i bet you’re. better.”

harry laughs and blushes. “i tried out for x factor once.”

louis looks at him. “yeah? how’d that go?”

“well, i’m on a date with you,” harry smiles. “so i didn’t do well, but i think i’m in a better spot.”

it’s louis’ turn to blush, looking down at his lap. they stay quiet after that, louis only looking up when they finally reach the market. harry quickly gets around to open his door, grabbing louis’ hand once the door closes. they share a smile before walking in. 

south market has a bunch of small vendors, local businesses, and even a little playground for the kids. it gets lively during the day, with a different feel when it starts to get dark. they start at a tea place,  _ biscuits and honey _ , where they pick up a drink. unfortunately, louis’ a two hand tea drinker, so they can no longer hold hands. however, that doesn’t stop harry from putting a hand at the small of his back. 

they walk through the market, stopping occasionally to try samples of food. there’s a kebab stand called  _ kebab on the job _ and a dumping stand called  _ po’s dumplings _ . they eventually stop at a waffle place,  _ waffle’s home, _ to actually eat dinner. louis gets a waffle dusted with powdered sugar and harry gets a waffle smothered in blueberries. 

they take their waffles off to a bench, sitting close together as they eat. they make idle conversation, typical first date things to talk about. harry learns that louis is the oldest of seven, is a mumma’s boy, and adores all his siblings. he feels his heart swell, he’s always wanted a family man. someone he could build a life with. 

harry’s in the middle of a story about him and his own mum when he catches louis staring at his mouth. “what? is there something wrong?”

louis shakes his head. “just got a little…” he makes a motion with his hand over his own lips. 

harry furrows his brows before understanding what he means. he wipes away at his mouth. “did i get it?”

louis shakes his head again. “here, let me just -“ he leans forward, pressing their lips together. when he pulls away, harry looks at him, a bit stunned. 

“did you get it?” he whispers, hoping louis would kiss him again. 

“i don’t think so,” he smiles, a mischievous look on his face. “c’mere.”

so harry c’meres, leaning back into louis’ space and kisses him again. one of louis’ hands comes up to cup harry’s cheek, humming against his lips. their waffles drop to the ground, long forgotten as they get lost in each other. 

they only break apart when someone clears their throat loudly. “you gotta pick those up,” the voice says before disappearing.

harry and louis look at each other before dissolving into giggles. louis knocks their foreheads together, stealing one (see: three) last kiss before picking up their food and throwing it away. he walks back over, offers harry a hand, which he thankfully takes, and pulls them away to another part of the market. 

the next part of the market they stumble upon has a bunch of flowers for sale. they stop at each vendor, smelling the flowers and bickering over which ones were better. 

at the fourth vendor, harry stops in his tracks and drops louis’ hand. before louis can say anything, harry goes over to the vendor, picking up a white flower, and pays for it. when he comes back, he lifts it up to his nose, taking a deep inhale before putting it under louis’ nose. louis smells the flower and smiles, it smells divine. 

“what is it?” louis asks, watching as harry slips the flower behind his ear. louis blushes, looking down. he feels as pretty as the flower. 

“sweetbay magnolia,” harry answers, stepping forward. “a sweetbay for a sweet boy.”

before louis can groan or react, harry presses their lips together in a gentle kiss. it’s so gentle that louis barely even registers it was there before he pulls away, smile evident on his face. louis’ blush deepens, looking back at harry through his eyelashes. 

“thank you.”

harry smiles. “you’re welcome.” he takes his hand and they continue on through the market. 

they meander through the market, louis unable to keep the blush off his face. the flower moves from behind his ear to his free hand, bringing it up occasionally to smell it. he steals looks at harry, who steals looks back at him. 

they happen upon a jewelry booth, a smiling ten year old with her dad manning it. stopping, they look through the items, making small comments to the girl and her father as they do so. louis’ eyes fall on a paper airplane pendant, complete with a silver chain. he picks it up, folding it over in his hand. 

“do you like it?” harry whispers, eyes trained on louis, who nods. he looks to the vendor. “how much?”

louis looks over. “harry, you don’t have to buy it for me.”

harry steadfastly ignores him, digging into his pocket for the money to pay for it. the girl smiles brightly as she’s hand the money, giving him the change. 

“harry…” louis tried again. “you really didn’t have to.”

“no,” harry laments, motioning for louis to turn around. he does. “ but i wanted to.” 

harry clasps the necklace around louis’ neck, smiling when he turns around. louis gives him a shy smile, looking down at the pendant and feels it between his fingers. 

“i think they’re in love,” the little girl whispers loudly to her dad, causing them all to laugh.

“not yet,” harry replies. “not yet.”

louis thinks about what harry said on the drive all the way back to his flat. he stares at the flower while playing with the airplane on his necklace. it’s too early for him, but he can see himself fall for harry. he can see himself moving in with him, starting a life and a family with him. he can see growing old with harry. he wants that. 

harry pulls into his driveway, turning off the car. before louis can say anything, harry gets out and gets the door for him. he smiles as louis get out, closing the car door behind him and walking him up to his door. 

“well,” louis says, looking at harry, “this is me.”

“this is you.” 

louis bites his lip. “i’ve had a lovely time.”

harry beams. “thank you, so have i.” he takes a deep breath, taking a crumpled up piece of paper out his pocket. “i wrote this for you, don’t read it until i’m gone.”

louis furrows his brows, but takes the paper. harry presses a kiss to his cheek and his lips, parting with a smile and promise to text him as soon as he gets home. he waves him off, stealing one more kiss before turning and heading inside. 

not waiting another moment, he uncrumples the paper, taking a deep breath as his eyes flit over the page. 

_ sunflower, _

_ my eyes want you more than a melody _

_ let me inside, wish i could get to know you _

_ you are my sunflower, see you soon _

_ x h _

_ - _

it doesn’t take long for them to actually make things official. when harry eventually gets the balls to do it, louis jumps into his arms and says yes a thousand times over.

they spend a lot of time together once they’re officially official. most of the time, they’re at louis’ flat. today, however, it is a special day. it’s been three months since they started dating, and harry is going to woo the  _ fuck _ out of louis. 

he’s dressed in black skinny jeans and black socks with a button down shirt and his hair in a top knot. he has the table set complete with a candle lit atmosphere. the dinner is pasta with red sauce, italian bread, and paired with pinot noir. 

harry is trying to get laid and he hopes -  _ prays -  _ he succeeds. 

there’s a knock at the door as he’s plating the food, the wine glasses already filled with the wine. he takes a deep breath, he can do this. it doesn’t matter that louis hasn’t been over to his place a lot. before going to the door, harry grabs the bouquet of flowers, filled with white lilacs, blue violets, gillyflowers, and forget-me-nots. he hides them behind his back and answers the door. 

a smile spreads across harry’s face as he sees louis appear on the other side. “hi, love.” he checks him out, looking over him from head to toe. 

louis giggles, a faint blush on his cheeks. “hey, mind if i come in?”

harry nods, opening the door more for him to come in and closes it behind him. louis steps in, taking a look around the place. while his back is turned to him, harry pulls out the bouquet, waiting for louis to turn back around. 

he does, and he gasps. “oh, harry,” he mumbles, taking the flowers into his hands. “they’re so beautiful.”

it’s harry’s turn to blush. “just like you.”

louis’ cheeks grow redder. “oh,” he says, dragging it out the word and pushing harry gently. “you sap. if you wanted to get into my pants, you could’ve asked.” he sends him a wink.

instantly, harry is calmer. he takes louis’ hand, pulling him to the table. he stands next to him, placing a kiss on his cheek. 

“i made you your favorite,” he tells him, taking the bouquet and setting it off to the side. 

“i don’t see a naked harry on the table,” louis jokes.

“hush”, harry rolls his eyes. “i made pasta with homemade red sauce and not homemade italian bread.” he walks over to louis’ chair, pulling it out for him. “m’lad.”

louis snorts but sits down anyway, scooting himself into the table. he’s dressed in a dark maroon jumper, with dark jeans and a pair of maroon vans to match. he looks damn good, and harry wants to ravish him right now. 

but wooing. he’s got to woo him. 

harry takes a sip of wine at the same time as louis, laughing into his glass. “let’s eat, shall we?”

louis nods and they dig in. they make idle conversation, stealing glances from the other. their feet occasionally hit each other, causing them to laugh as they launch into an intense game of footsie. 

they’re children, obviously. 

“so,” louis says after a sip of wine, “are you going to fuck me or what?”

harry chokes on his food. “how did you know?”

“oh, please, harold. you’re as subtle as a train wreck,” louis rolls his eyes, wiping off his mouth. “take me to the bedroom and wreck me, pretty please?” he bats his eyelashes and, fuck, does harry get up to take this man to his bedroom.

harry pushes himself away from the table and all but yanks louis out of his chair. he pulls them down the hall, thanking god and whoever that his roommate is gone as they enter his room. he then turns to louis, who looks about three seconds away from a snarky comment, smirk poised on his face. so, decidedly, he kisses the smirk off his face. 

you know, as one does. 

harry’s pushing louis against the wall, hands cupping his face gently despite the rough action. louis’ hands are on his waist, digging his nails into his hips. a small moan escapes the latter’s lips, the sound going straight to harry’s cock. 

“bed,” louis pants against harry’s lips. “bed, now.”

and harry can’t deny what the man wants, pulling him off the wall and crashing down onto the bed. their teeth clank in the process and it’s completely unsexy but nothing kills a 22 year old and a 20 year old’s boners at this point. louis is whining underneath him, hips rolling up into harry’s, desperate to gain some friction. harry’s pushes off of louis to strip himself of his shirt, hands tugging on the older’s jumper to try and get it off. 

louis complies, and very soon they’re both naked and harry’s reaching for the lube. louis is red all over and whimpery, responding to every touch harry gives him. warming up the lube, harry kisses down his body, teeth dragging against his skin as he gets closer and closer to louis’ cock. he is just eating up everything harry has given him so far, and he can’t wait until he can get inside of this beautiful boy. 

harry takes his time opening up louis, waits until he’s a whimpering mess of a man before he deems him ready for his cock. he rolls on the condom and positions himself right up against louis’ hole, leaning down to kiss him as he finally,  _ finally,  _ pushes in. 

the responding high moan from louis is something harry will want to reply in his mind for the rest of his life. if louis was responsive before, he’s even more now that he’s getting dick. every touch has the intensity of ten, and he hasn’t even been properly fucked yet. 

“please,” louis begs quietly, looking up at harry with near tears in his eyes. “please.”

it doesn’t take long for harry to start moving, thrusting in and out slowly before picking up the pace. louis is  _ loud _ , head falling backwards and letting all the sounds fall out of his lips. harry starts kissing at his neck, biting his skin and sucking. he wants louis to feel good, to feel more than good, more than great. 

“such a good boy,” harry lets slip out, breathing heavily next to his ear. 

“yours,” louis responds without even thinking. 

this makes harry even more possessive than he already was. his hips snap into louis, the only sounds in the room being their skin slapping together and the moans and groans coming from each of them. he can feel himself get closer, and from the sounds of it, so is louis. so he wraps a hand around louis’ neglected cock, stroking in tandem with his thrusts. 

it doesn’t take long after for louis to have come, legs shaking as he paints their chests white. harry follows not long after, an almost primal groan leaving his lips as he comes inside the condom. their chest heave as they try to come down, harry pulling out and falling off beside him. 

louis’ eyes are closed when he looks at him, not asleep but seeming to try and settle into what just happened. they just had sex. fantastic sex, if you ask harry. and from the looks of it, louis as well. harry presses a kiss to his shoulder before getting up, discarding the condom and grabbing a wet wash rag to clean them up. 

eventually, harry gets them under the covers, louis curled up around him. he wraps his arms around louis, pressing kisses to his hair. they don’t say anything, but it doesn’t feel awkward. the silence is welcomed, and harry’s happy as long as he has louis by his side. 

(and the next morning, harry is in his boxers as he cooks them breakfast. louis comes out in one of harry’s jumpers and nothing else. and if this were their own home, harry would’ve ravished louis in the kitchen. 

right in front of the milk.)

-

things have been going great for harry and louis. between first “i love you”‘s to first fights, they’re now a year and six months strong and they spend a lot of time together. 

so much, in fact, that harry wants to move in with louis.

they do, in fact, a month after harry mentions it. their flat is perfectly in the middle of their jobs, close enough to university for harry, and it’s the perfect size for the two of them. they decorate it, their styles meshing almost perfectly. and they have a housewarming party where everyone coos about how cute they are. 

everything is flawless. until it isn’t. 

see, kids, moving in together is a great idea if you’re serious about someone. both harry and louis are serious about the other, harry is even considering popping the question this early on in their relationship. the problem with moving in together is everything that happens after you’re all done. 

you lose alone time, you have to match each other’s schedules, you’re learning a whole new side to the person that you’ve never seen before. everything is new and exciting and pissing you off at the same time. 

sure, you get to sleep in the same bed as your partner, but you also learn they don’t wash their hands after they use the bathroom. which, gross? wash your hands? please?

rest assured, they do wash their hands after they go to the bathroom. they’re not animals. 

harry is doing the dishes on his day off, grumbling to himself about how messy louis is. it frustrates him. louis never rinses off the plates, bowls, or glasses before putting them in the sink, so harry is left to scrub off any grime on it. 

not to mention the fact that louis doesn’t do the dishes. 

it’s annoying. harry comes home from a long day at uni and work and the dishes just sit in the sink, waiting for him. louis has no problem doing anything else, just the dishes seem to be something he just doesn’t do. he knows he was raised better than that, seven siblings and all. 

so harry’s doing the dishes on his day off, and louis comes in and sees his eyebrows furrowed. 

“what’s the matter?” louis asks, leaning against the counter. 

“nothing,” harry replies, scrubbing a plate a little harder than normal. 

“but nothing. you got your angry frog face on,” louis leans over to poke his cheek. “what’s wrong?”

harry sighs. “look, i love you so much, i’m probably in love with you, but can you  _ please do the dishes _ ?”

louis stares at him agape. “you’re probably in love with me?”

shit. “uh…”

“no no no. we’ll get back to the dishes later. did you just say you’re in love with me?”

harry swallows, suddenly nervous. “i guess i did.”

“okay,” louis says, nodding. “okay.”

“okay?”

“okay. i’m going to go to our room, get undressed, and wait for you to decide to fuck me instead of doing the dishes.” with that, louis turns on his heels, power walking towards the bedroom. 

harry stares after with his mouth open. he doesn’t even get a chance to ask what the fuck happened. what he does is put the dish down, turn off the water, and follow louis to their room. 

when he enters the room, louis wasn’t kidding about getting naked, trousers half way down his legs and showing off the absolutely amazing bum. harry walks up behind him, squeezing his hips as he fits behind him. 

“what has gotten into you?” harry asks, mouthing louis’ neck.

“oh, nothing,” louis teases, head tilted to the side. “just that my boyfriend told me he’s in love with me finally.”

harry chuckles. “finally?”

“been waiting a while for you to finally admit it,” louis admits, turning his harry’s grip. “i’ve been in love with you since the first time i saw you.”

harry’s insides turn to mush, darting forward to kiss louis. his hands wander down to his ass, squeezing hard and causing louis to moan. they continue to move against one another, getting rid of clothes and falling into bed with one another. harry reaches for the lube and spends his sweet, sweet time opening up louis, waiting until he’s a writhing mess on their bed.

once he lubes up his cock, harry fucks louis with vigor. the bedframe hits the wall with almost every thrust and louis can’t be quiet. harry absolutely  _ loves  _ when louis is loud, unable to keep silent how much his loves harry’s cock. 

they come, louis now a whimpering mess of a man harry fucks him through it. for the piece of résistance, harry eats out all the come from his ass, making louis come again, somehow louder this time. 

sure, they’re going to get a noise complaint, but they’re in love. nobody can touch them. 

-

harry is nervous. 

harry is going to propose. 

harry is so  _ fucking  _ nervous. 

there’s nothing he honestly should be nervous about. they’ve talk about marriage, about getting engaged. louis is it for him, he wants the white picket fence and a gaggle of kids and the whole nine yards with him. and he knows louis wants that with him, too. 

he just can’t help but  _ be  _ nervous. 

instead of buying a ring, he picked out one of his own rings, the one with the bears on it. he bought a ring box, which is easier said than done apparently. he got a lot of weird looks for wanting to buy the box and not a ring. harry’s prepared, he’s got everything he needs to propose. he’s got a speech ready, he’s got the ring.

now he just needs the man. 

the day that harry is going propose starts as any other day. they’ve been together for three years now, waking up the same way they have been for the past year and a half. harry wakes up first, mouthful of louis’ long hair. louis is pressed up against harry’s chest, back flush with his front. harry sneaks out of the bed to go cook breakfast. a few minutes later, a grumpy, disheveled louis appears in the kitchen and plasters himself to harry’s back. 

“you left me,” louis grumbles, kissing his spine. 

“was making my love his favorite pancakes,” harry tells him, chuckling. 

louis makes a displeased noise. “the chocolate chip ones?”

“with whipped cream and bananas? yes, you freak.”

louis pinches harry’s nipple before detaching himself and grabbing the plates. 

the day is going to go great. 

after breakfast, they have a lay in on the couch, being it the weekend and neither have commitments to work. they spend more time lazily making out than watching the television, but hey, they’re in love in their own home. screw it. 

harry tells louis he has plans for a dinner at a fancy restaurant, so he needs to get dressed up all clean and fancy like. louis nods and harry disappears to get dressed first. this is just so he can grab the ring box. he’s dressed in a baby blue suit with a matching shirt and one button undone. he slips the ring box into his jacket, walking out to the living room. 

“okay, hot stuff,” loui wolf whistled as harry appears. “i didn’t realize this was a contest.”

“and if it were, you would win in spades, darling,” harry kisses louis’ forehead before he beckons him off to get changed. 

harry is rehearsing his speech in his head as louis comes out. he’s dressed in all black and a little white pocket square. it’s his favorite suit of louis’, the one he brings out for special occasions. 

“fuck, marry me,” harry says before freezing up.

louis blushes. “what?”

“uh,” harry blanches, looking around. 

“you said marry you?” louis presses. 

“uh,” he stalls. “yes?”

“is that a question or an answer?”

“both?”

louis sighs, shaking his head. “you know, only you would slip up on proposing.” 

harry looks at louis dumbfounded. “you knew?”

“i had an inkling,” louis confesses, looking down as he scuffs his shoes. “we never go to fancy restaurants unless it’s for a special occasion. so i had a feeling something was going to happen.”

“oh,” is all harry says at first. and then, “so i really just mucked up proposing.”

louis shakes his head. “ask me again.”

harry doesn’t need to be told twice, going over to louis and getting down on one knee. “louis, i had this whole speech planned, telling you how much i love you and all that jazz. but i don’t think words could describe how much i absolutely adore you. you are my forever, my partner in crime, my always. so will you  _ please  _ do me the honor and will you marry me?”

louis has tears in his eyes after the short speech, nodding because he couldn’t get the words out. harry gets up and immediately kisses him, holding him by the waist as they kiss. when they break apart, harry grabs the ring, slipping it onto louis’ left ring finger. it looks perfect there. 

“i’m so in love with you,” louis says. 

harry just smiles. 

-

harry and louis get married during a small ceremony a few months later. they never get louis a “real” engagement ring, but they do get him a wedding ring to match on his right hand. 

harry takes to not wearing any rings on his left hand besides his wedding band, which takes some getting used to. louis absolutely loves his devotion, kissing his bare fingers whenever they’re in bed. 

they move out of their flat and into a home a year later, adopt a couple of dogs and then, eventually, four kids. when their children ask what love is, if it’s scary, they have one simple answer.

_ “love is only for the brave.” _

**Author's Note:**

> tell me how i did pls on @ voulezloux on tumblr


End file.
